Men's Basketball Takes Big Bite Out Of Sharks

Erick Nsangou led the way for the Bucs with 14 points. Photo by JC Ridley

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – The Barry University men’s basketball team fought back in the second half and held on to defeat Nova Southeastern, 52-50, Wednesday night in Sunshine State Conference action at the Health and Sports Center.

NSU (14-8, 8-5 SSC) had the start they wanted, as they built an 11-point lead with five minutes to play in the first half following a jumper by David Naylor.

The Sharks expanded the lead to 13 on the next trip down the floor on a jumper by Tim Coenraad, as NSU went on a 13-0 run over a six-minute span to take a 23-10 lead.

Barry (10-14, 5-8 SSC) found new life in the second half, as despite being outsized in the paint, the Bucs continued to attack the rim.

A layup by Erick Nsangou at the 15:22 mark trimmed the lead to five, then a pair of free throws by Bryan Chiverton thirty seconds later had Barry to within three.

Zach Trapp drilled a 3-pointer at the 12:04 mark to give Barry their first lead since the 15:25 mark of the first half.

The Bucs continued to add to the lead, as they went up by five after a Willie Whitfield layup found the bottom of the basket with a little over eight minutes to play in the game.

With the game tied at 48 with just under three minutes to play, both teams came up with big shots. Nsangou first rattled home a jumper near the free throw line with two minutes to play to give the Bucs a two-point lead.

Darrin Williams then later countered with a layup a minute later to tie the game up.

Trapp then drilled the big shot, as the shot clock was winding down, he got loose on the far baseline and nailed a jumper to give Barry a two-point lead with thirty seconds to play.

After the Sharks missed a three-pointer and Barry missed a free throw, NSU still had some time left to either tie the game or go for the win.

With nine seconds left, the Sharks came down the floor, lost the ball, but retained possession for a timeout with two seconds left on the game clock. NSU then inbounded to John Brooks, who missed a 3-pointer around two Bucs to give Barry the tight victory.

The Bucs tied a team single-game record for fewest turnovers, as they only had four the entire game. Last time the Bucs accomplished this came back in 1988 in overtime against Saint Leo.

Three Bucs once again scored in double-digits, as Nsangou led the way with 14 points, Trapp tallied 13 and Tucker added 10.

Barry will be back in action this Saturday for senior day against Rollins beginning at 4 p.m.